Thankful
I just want to say that I'm thankful for what I have and all that I sometimes take for granted.
Last week a roommate was in a car accident, totaling his car but not injuring his girlfriend or himself any more than some severe whiplash. This happened just a day after his younger brother swerved to miss a deer, crashed and was hospitalized for various injuries. The kid has now had five surgeries to his right arm and they will continue tomorrow with a bone and skin graft coming from his pelvis to fix the arm. The kid can't move his fingers properly or stretch them out fully, but hey, he's alive and functioning well otherwise. Whew.
Then today's newspaper had an article about a local high school girl who went from being vibrant cheerleader and swimmer to a young girl who can no longer speak or walk and be the same person she once was thanks to a car crash. Her story (and crushed car) is now an example used for pre-prom mock staged accidents shown at several high schools nearby.
And I'm reminded of a few high school friends who had a college friend of theirs fall over a second or third story balcony drunk during a watermelon seed spitting contest, land on her head and never recover to be the same person she once was.
For everything I find to complain about or criticize in life, I just have to say that I'm thankful that my family and friends are healthy, happy and safe. You never know when life's going to throw you a curve ball, but I'm just glad that to this point, it hasn't.
There have been moments when I look up just in time (when my mind is somewhere else) to slam on my breaks and I've silently whispered a prayer for looking up when I still had time. The little things (like being able to walk, drive myself to work, text or call my mom, laugh with friends, etc) are really important. I don't want to dismiss the little things in life because without them, it just wouldn't be the same. And clearly, I'm lucky to have what I do because not everyone is so fortunate. Sometimes, it just takes a little nudge to sharpen your vision back to 20/20.
Last week a roommate was in a car accident, totaling his car but not injuring his girlfriend or himself any more than some severe whiplash. This happened just a day after his younger brother swerved to miss a deer, crashed and was hospitalized for various injuries. The kid has now had five surgeries to his right arm and they will continue tomorrow with a bone and skin graft coming from his pelvis to fix the arm. The kid can't move his fingers properly or stretch them out fully, but hey, he's alive and functioning well otherwise. Whew.
Then today's newspaper had an article about a local high school girl who went from being vibrant cheerleader and swimmer to a young girl who can no longer speak or walk and be the same person she once was thanks to a car crash. Her story (and crushed car) is now an example used for pre-prom mock staged accidents shown at several high schools nearby.
And I'm reminded of a few high school friends who had a college friend of theirs fall over a second or third story balcony drunk during a watermelon seed spitting contest, land on her head and never recover to be the same person she once was.
For everything I find to complain about or criticize in life, I just have to say that I'm thankful that my family and friends are healthy, happy and safe. You never know when life's going to throw you a curve ball, but I'm just glad that to this point, it hasn't.
There have been moments when I look up just in time (when my mind is somewhere else) to slam on my breaks and I've silently whispered a prayer for looking up when I still had time. The little things (like being able to walk, drive myself to work, text or call my mom, laugh with friends, etc) are really important. I don't want to dismiss the little things in life because without them, it just wouldn't be the same. And clearly, I'm lucky to have what I do because not everyone is so fortunate. Sometimes, it just takes a little nudge to sharpen your vision back to 20/20.
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